Blog

photoshop automation | photoshop how-to

Anything that helps you work faster in Photoshop should be considered automation. One of the reasons that I say that is because too many people only think of actions when they think of automation. And at the risk of repeating portions of past articles, always remember the phrase “compared to the alternative,” meaning that even if a technique only gets you part of the way toward your goal, it’s almost always faster than the alternative, manual method. Sometimes that means using methods that are not obvious means of automation.

So here are some not-so-obvious ways of speeding up your work in Photoshop.

Before jumping in to the sometimes challenging task of creating a Layer Mask to hide portions of a layer, consider using the Blend If sliders. Although these controls have been a part of layers for a long time, they are one of the more hidden features. For me, this function is very often the first thing I try, before assuming I’ll have to create a Layer Mask.

In this first example I want to create a faux magazine cover for a senior who’s really into fashion. After creating a basic magazine cover layout I was left with the name of the magazine partially covering her head, but I wanted her to be in
front of the magazine name.

Want to read this article? Log in and launch this free photography training magazine // January 2013 issue.